Vitiligo/leucoderma is an acquired depigmentation of skin characterized by patchy loss of pigment that becomes progressive with time. This disorder affects about 1% of the world population. Traditional therapies for vitiligo mainly include photo chemotherapy with topical/oral psoralens followed by exposure to ultra violet A radiation (PUV-A) or topical/oral steroids. PUV-A therapy is perhaps the main stay in the treatment of vitiligo. However only about 50% of cases get repigmentation. More over in a patient in response to PUV-A, many vitiligo patches may repigment partially only and the rest of the patches may remain unresponsive to PUV-A therapy even after long duration of treatment. The repigmentation in the above therapies is a result of multiplication of melanocytes, the cells, which produce the pigment melanin in the skin. The multiplication of melanocytes in response to the above therapies occur from the margins of the vitiligo patch or at the pigmented hair follicles and their migration/spread to the vitiligo patch.
Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) also known as FGF2 so named because it contains a high number of basic amino acid residues (Lysine, Arginine and Histidine) is a potent mitogen for a variety of cell types including melanocytes. Both human and bovine bFGF were isolated and the gene expressing this product were sequenced and cloned. In addition bFGF was found to be expressed in a wide variety of tissue types including placenta, keratinocytes and fibroblasts. The bFGF or its agonist peptides were tested on human volunteers in the various phases of clinical trials in India and found to be successful in repigmenting about 80% of volunteers with stable generalised vitiligo and segmental vitiligo. Patents of interest describing bFGF or agonist peptides and the formulation for their penetration through intact skin include U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,723, Australian patent 722626, Indian patents 185613, 186437 and 185703.
Vitiligo is a pigmentary disorder with patchy loss of skin pigment melanin, (Ramaiah. A, Puri. N, Mojamdar M, A new hypothesis for the etiology of vitiligo, Acta Derm, Venerol (Stockholm), 1989, 69, 323-327) postulated that deprivation of a mitogen(s) like basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for melanocytes or its decreased level in the skin of vitiligo patients for as at unknown reason could result in the loss of melanin producing cells melanocytes in skin resulting in vitiligo. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) also known as FGF2 is a potent mitogen for variety of cell types including melanocytes. Both human and bovine bFGF have been isolated and the gene expressing this product have been sequenced and cloned. In addition bFGF has been found to be expressed in a wide variety of tissue types including pituitary, brain and adrenal gland corpusluteum, retina, kidney, placenta and keratinocytes, fibroblasts. The above hypothesis that a mitogen like bFGF may be reduced in its levels in vitiligo patch resulting in loss of melanocytes and the pigment melanin in vitiligo skin was supported recently from studies by others (Moretti S et al. Insight in to the pathogenesis of vitiligo, Imbalance of epidermal cytokines at sites of lesions, Pig. Cell. Res 2002, 15.